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African Studies

Introduction to African Studies

Professor/Instructor

An exploration of the past, present, and future of Africa in a multidisciplinary setting. A dozen Africanist faculty members collaborate in an effort to shed light on both the huge potential of Africa and its peoples and the enormous challenges the continent faces. Topics vary from politics, economics, conservation, biodiversity, climate change, the environment, health and disease, and written and oral literature, to the impact of the world on Africa as well as Africa's contributions to and place in worlds present and past. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

ANT 206A / AFS 206

Human Evolution

Professor/Instructor

Janet Marie Monge

An investigation of the evidence and background of human evolution. Emphasis will be placed on the examination of the fossil and genetic evidence for human evolution and its functional and behavioral implications. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

ANT 206B / EEB 306 / AFS 206

Human Evolution

Professor/Instructor

Janet Marie Monge

An investigation of the evidence and background of human evolution. Emphasis will be placed on the examination of the fossil and genetic evidence for human evolution and its functional and behavioral implications. Two lectures, one preceptorial, one 90-minute laborabory.

MUS 258 / AFS 258

Music of Africa

Professor/Instructor

V. Kofi Agawu

Introduction to the vocal and instrumental music of Africa south of the Sahara. Topics include the place of music in society, the influence of language on musical composition, principles of rhythmic organization, urban popular music, "art" music as a response to colonialism, and the impact of African music on the earliest forms of African American music. Two 90-minute lectures.

HIS 314 / AFS 313

Precolonial Africa

Professor/Instructor

Emmanuel H. P. M. Kreike

A survey course that begins with an overview of the continent at the end of the third century A.D. and ends with the death of Moshoeshoe in the 19th century. Focuses on several great themes of African history: long-distance trade, state formation, migration, religious conversion to either Islam or Christianity, forms of domestic slavery, and the impact of the slave trade. Two 90-minute classes.

ANT 314 / ENE 314 / AFS 314

The Anthropology of Development

Professor/Instructor

Carolyn M. Rouse

Why do development projects fail? This course examines why well-meaning development experts get it wrong. It looks closely at what anthropologists mean by culture and why most development experts fail to attend to the cultural forces that hold communities together. By examining development projects from South Asia to the United States, students learn the relevance of exchange relations, genealogies, power, religion, and indigenous law.

HIS 315 / AFS 316

Colonial and Postcolonial Africa

Professor/Instructor

Jacob S. Dlamini

The impact of European colonial rule on the traditional societies of Africa in the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the dominant themes will be the emergence of the intelligentsia in colonial areas as proponents of nationalism. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

FRE 330 / AFS 330

Landmarks of French Culture

Professor/Instructor

An interdisciplinary study of places, periods, persons, or questions that helped define French cultural identity, from its origins to the present. Areas of study could include courtly love; gothic art; the Enyclopedia; the Belle Epoque; the Figure of the Intellectual from Zola to Simone de Beauvoir; the sociocultural revolution of May 1968; colonization, its discontents, and its aftermaths; France in the age of globalization; Franco-American relations; etc. Prerequisite: a 200-level course in French or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes.

POL 366 / AFS 366

Politics in Africa

Professor/Instructor

Jennifer Anne Widner

A comparative approach to African political systems. The meanings of the concepts of modernization, national integration, and development are explored. Topics include the inheritances of colonial rule, independence and the new tasks, political patterns in the postindependence period, prospects for political change, and African interstate relations. Two lectures, one preceptorial.

AFS 400

Topics in African Studies

Professor/Instructor

Designed to allow juniors and seniors enrolled in the program to examine significant problems in Africa in an interdisciplinary manner. Topics vary from year to year, reflecting faculty research interests. Prerequisite: one core course and one cognate course, or instructor's permission. Required of all program concentrators; open to others by permission of program director and course instructor.

FRE 403 / AFS 403 / LAS 412

Topics in Francophone Literature, Culture, and History

Professor/Instructor

F. Nick Nesbitt

This course will study a selection of the writings of Aimé Césaire, a towering figure of the 20th century in poetry, theatre, and postcolonial critique and politics. Césaire's poetry is arguably the most accomplished oeuvre of any anticolonial poet of the century, and a pinnacle of modernist French poetry tout court. Similarly, Césaire's theatrical works are outstanding moments in the creation of a theatre of decolonization, while his celebrated critical pieces, such as the "Discours sur le colonialisme", articulate the ethical and political grounds for the struggle to end colonialism.

ENG 417 / COM 423 / AFS 416

Topics in Postcolonial Literature

Professor/Instructor

Zahid Rafiq Chaudhary

Approaches to the connections between literature and nationality, focusing either on literatures outside the Anglo-American experience or on the theoretical issues involved in articulating nationality through literature. Two 90-minute seminars.

POL 433 / AFS 433

Seminar in Comparative Politics

Professor/Instructor

Investigation of a major theme in comparative politics. Reading and intensive discussion of selected issues in the literature. One three-hour seminar.

SWA 101

Elementary Swahili I

Professor/Instructor

Mahiri Mwita

An introduction to Kiswahili language and culture. Focuses on the development of the communication skills students need to interact with Swahili speakers. Instruction emphasizes cultural themes and experiential activities that enhance the four components of speaking, writing, listening, and reading. Students will also gain some insight into the cultures of East Africa. Four classes. No credit is given for SWA 101 unless followed by SWA 102.

SWA 102

Elementary Swahili II

Professor/Instructor

Mahiri Mwita

Continuation of SWA 101. Emphasis is on increasing proficiency in reading and listening comprehension, speaking, and writing. Cultural contexts of the East African societies where Swahili is spoken are incorporated in classroom activities in order to enhance communication and cultural proficiency. Prerequisite: SWA 101. Four classes.

SWA 105

Intermediate Swahili I

Professor/Instructor

Mahiri Mwita

This second-year Swahili course focuses on enhancing the communicative skills acquired in the first year. Instruction emphasizes reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The course infuses cultural and sociopolitical aspects of life in East Africa with more complex grammatical concepts such as the subjunctive, grammar infixes, and relative clauses. Prerequisites: SWA 101 and 102, or instructor's permission. Four classes.

SWA 107

Intermediate Swahili II

Professor/Instructor

Mahiri Mwita

Emphasizes conversational fluency and increased facility in reading and writing skills while introducing students to Swahili literature. This literature forms the basis for a survey of cultural issues and more advanced grammar. Students will be able to understand and analyze the main ideas and significant details of materials in Swahili such as media articles, short stories, poetry, short novels, films, and plays. Covers advanced-level Swahili grammar, as well as the development of expository writing skills. Prerequisite: SWA 105, or instructor's permission. Four classes.